Millions of people love playing and watching basketball. You need to know all about it, though, if you want to play the sport or just watch it. This article is meant to help readers do precisely that.

Many people forget that defense is as important as offense during practice. Defense can make or break a basketball game. Without good defense, a basketball team will lose the match.

TIP! Learn to correctly dribble the ball. Use the fingertips, not the palm, for the best dribbling.

Learn the best way to make your free throws. This seems like an easy shot, but it is quite hard. Practice regularly and employe the technique that follows. Hold the ball level to your face. Visualize the ball sailing into the hoop. You should then shoot and try following the trajectory you visualized.

Receiving Player

Perfect your bounce pass. It is best when the ball hits the receiving player near the waist. A good estimation is to target the ball to bounce at about 3/4 of the distance that the receiving player is. Of course, there are factors that should be taken into consideration when passing using the bouncing technique.

TIP! Make sure you dribble properly by keeping your head held up, facing forward. Looking at your ball when you dribble indicates that you haven’t practiced enough.

Making a free throw takes mental concentration as well as physical prowess. You’re able to train your whole body to do full free throw motions, but if you’re not mentally prepared, you will fail. Relax yourself and focus on the hoop.

Watch the pro’s play if you want to improve your game. You can do this by watching games in person and on television. You’ll notice that each player has a skill that they are great at. Choose a move that you like and start practicing it.

Do not practice solely against zone defense. You can count on quite a bit of the game being played in zone; however, you should not be surprised if it becomes one-on-one coverage just for the sake of confusion. When you don’t know how to defeat it, you will lose.

TIP! Crossing over is a vital skill to have for handling the basketball. This move entails transferring the basketball from your left hand to your right hand and back again.

You can learn how to better pass the ball if you run drills without the dribble. Playing without any dribbling is very hard, but builds your passing skills. This may be hard and frustrating at first, but as you get the hang of it your entire team will begin to excel at passing.

If your child is training to be a high school basketball player, make sure that they train their core muscles properly. Hips, abdomen and back must be worked on. The core is what holds the body in balance and allows the limbs to work well. Building a solid core helps maintain the leg strength that lies at the core of a strong game.

Unseen passes can be avoided when proper hand signals are used by teammates. Often in basketball, a player makes a pass at the exact same time the receiving player heads to another part of the court. Avoid this using hand signals to see if they can get the pass. If there is no signal, the player should not make the pass to them.

TIP! Want to become a better basketball player? Watch the pros! It is important that you see how other people play the game. Each player has their strengths and you can learn a lot from each one.

Speed is everything in basketball. If you want the advantage, you’ve got more quickly. You need to really drill to get to the point where you can play fast. Make sure you never play past the speed you are comfortable. You will not be able to control your moves if you play faster than you are able to.

When you’re practicing passing, try to look the other way. This should befuddle your opponent. If you do it right, this draws your opponents’ focus the wrong way. When executed properly, this is a powerful play.

Your forearms and hands should be strengthened if you wish to handle the ball better. Wrist curls can be effective at helping you to control the ball as if you’ll be dribbling in your sleep. You can’t just stand and shoot for the whole game. Learning how to pass the ball ensures that you can get the ball safely to a teammate who has better position on the court.

TIP! Do not restrict your practices to zone defenses alone. Zone play will be important, but man-to-man will pop up from time to time, too.

As soon as the ball leaves your teammate’s hands after a free throw, start moving into position. The defender below you will be moving toward you, so find a way to slip around him and get to the ball. Doing this lets you get a rebound freely and not commit a foul in the process.

Peripheral Vision

Practice noticing what is in your peripheral vision. Not to just be able to see the scoreboard, but to actually make a shot and catch a pass. You want to be sure that your peripheral vision is at its best. Watching the whole court allows you to foresee future attacks from the opponent.

TIP! Learn good passing by drilling often without dribbling. It’s hard to play without dribbling, however, it can help you and your team create more accurate passes.

To boost your ability with the weaker hand, try to use it for all daily tasks. These tasks help to make your weaker hand feel more natural when you use it on the court. So, drill with the weaker hand and use in it in real life.

It’s not easy to match the thrills that basketball supplies for many of its fans. If you are new to the game, the fast pace makes it difficult to follow and enjoy. This article should have given you all you need to know.